Saturday, December 7, 2013

Cookies!

Posted by: Shawna Thomas
This time of year, my mind doesn’t immediately turn to decorations or gift buying (or getting). I’m not thinking turkey or ham or holiday traffic. My thoughts turn toward cookies. I love to bake. Cake, pie, cookies, you name it. I find it therapeutic. Cookies are my go-to dessert because they’re fast easy and there are so many varieties... which leads me back to why thoughts go to cookies at this time of year.

Christmas cookies.


It’s like an excuse to bake as much as I want, as often as I can, and try as many varieties as possible. I can rarely leave a recipe alone. I like to experiment. What if I added coconut... chocolate, etc.  I have my favorites, and those varieties requested by friends and family, but I love to try out new varieties every year.  I bake them for friends, neighbors, family, and this year I’m even selling them.

I think it would be awesome to participate in a giant cookie exchange, but as that’s kind of problematic, how about an informal cookie recipe exchange?



I’ll give you my favorite sugar cookie recipe and if you have a favorite recipe, post them in the  comments.

 I’ve always loved sugar cookie dough, but this one... the cookies are good without frosting.

½ cup butter, room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
½ tsp almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder

Cream together cream cheese, butter and sugar. Blend until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix. Add flour and baking powder and blend together.

Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour. (I’ve refrigerated overnight with no problem)

Take half of the dough and roll it to a ¼ inch thick on a well-floured surface. Cut out the cookies and bake them at 350 for 6 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.  (Cooking time depends a lot on what shape you choose for your cookie) If you don’t like the taste of almond, substitute vanilla.

Cool and frost or decorate as you desire.

Let me know what you think of the cookies! I will check the comments and try your recipes too. I may just pick one I like the best and send you a batch of my famous—in my family anyway—lemon cookies. Because who doesn’t love getting cookies?

Not only is my mind full of cookie thoughts,  I’m celebrating my upcoming release, Journey of Wisdom, which is the third book in the Triune Stones series. I don’t think Ilythra ever made a cookie in her life, but she’d probably eat one or two.


Journey of Wisdom comes out December 30th, just in time for New Year’s reading!

So please, leave your favorite recipe or a link to your favorite recipe in the comments below!

4 comments:

  1. I grew up eating Buckeyes for Christmas it's become a tradition that now my kids love. And they are so easy.

    3 cups confectioners’ sugar
    1 cup creamy peanut butter
    4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted when ready to use

    Mix all the ingredients except the chocolate in a bowl. Form dough into round balls. Place on a baking sheet covered with wax paper and freeze for 1 hour. Melt the chocolate and roll the balls into melted chocolate then place bake in freezer 1-2 hours until chocolate hardens. Your done. They are so yummy too.

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    1. Steph, I just saw a picture of Buckeyes. Peanut butter and chocolate? I'm sold! I will be sure to try this recipe. Thank you!

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  2. Great idea! I finally have a big enough house to host Christmas, and I'm excited about doing Christmas baking. (It also helps that I finally have a freezer...) This recipe is my husband's favourite. It's a bit fiddly, the kind of Christmas cookie you only make at Christmas.

    Candy Cane Cookies

    1 cup margarine
    1 cup sugar
    1 egg
    1 1/2 tsp almond extract
    1 tsp vanilla
    2 1/2 cups flour
    1 tsp salt
    1 1/2 tsp red food colouring - DON'T ADD YET

    Combine first five ingredients in a bowl. For best results divide dough into two equal halves, then add flour and salt. Add food colouring to only one of the bowls. If necessary, add a little water.

    Take 1 1/2 tsp of white dough, form into a rope, Do the same to 1 1/2 tsp of pink dough. Twist ropes together and curve to form a candy cane.

    Bake @375 x 7-9 minutes

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    Replies
    1. I love this idea... and best yet, no frosting! LOL Although I love to bake... decorating cookies leaves me a little cold. I let the kids do it. ; ) Thank you so much Nicole! And what do you think about adding a little peppermint sugar sprinkles while they're hot?

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